Tihar security tightened

Tihar Jail authorities today told the Delhi High Court that they have tightened security inside the complex and are keeping a strict vigil on inmates.

Tihar Jail authorities on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that they have tightened security inside the complex and are keeping a strict vigil on inmates.

The jail's Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) RN Sharma personally appeared before the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

He said the authorities have taken many steps to stop the use of mobile phones and blades in the jail, which also houses VIP prisoners like former communications minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi, former Commonwealth Games organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi and many other bureaucrats and executives accused in the 2G and Commonwealth Games scams.

Sharma submitted that on a trial basis, the jail has installed a body scanner, which costs around Rs.1 crore to Rs.2.5 crore.

"One more body scanner will be installed within three months. Meanwhile, nine mobile jammers have been installed within the jail premises. We have asked the Delhi government to install 21 more jammers around the jail," Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Delhi government's standing counsel Pawan Sharma told the court that rest of the jammers will be installed soon.

The bench also asked Tihar authorities to install CCTV cameras inside the jail complex and also in vans used for transporting inmates to courts.

The high court was hearing the case, which was taken up on its own initiative after an unidentified prisoner wrote to a chief metropolitan magistrate in 2009 about the rampant use of mobile phones by inmates.

The magistrate then forwarded the information to the high court, after conducting initial investigations which indicted the prison administration.

In the past few years, at least nine mobile phones and 11 SIM cards have been recovered from inside the jail.